Chapter 482

Would Hayden regret this? I had no idea. But the way he walked away so decisively felt like someone was squeezing my heart, tighter with every minute. The pain twisted inside me all night, leaving me wide awake, tossing and turning. I hadn’t even felt this broken when I ended things with Jace.

By the time the sun finally dragged itself over the horizon, I dragged myself out of bed, got ready, and headed to the office. At least there, I’d see Hayden. If I had such a miserable night, I was dying to know how he handled it.

To hide my exhaustion, I applied a layer of makeup before stepping into work. As fate would have it, I ran straight into Ron in the lobby. Spotting me, he waved with his usual over-the-top enthusiasm. “Ms. Kay! Good morning!”

Ron, my ridiculously energetic superior, always greets me like we’re long-lost family—just short of throwing his arms around me in a teary reunion.

“Good morning, Mr. Shane,” I nodded politely.

“Where’s your plus-one? Didn’t come in with you today?” he teased with a grin.

That term—“plus-one”—hurt way more than if he’d just said Hayden’s name. It felt like twisting the knife in the dull ache sitting in my chest since last night.

Forcing a smile, I shot back, “Plus-one? You got me a new one?”

Ron blinked, clearly caught off guard. After a brief awkward pause, he chuckled nervously and waved at someone behind me. “Oh look, here he comes now!”

Hayden was walking toward us, dressed down in his usual work gear—just a T-shirt and cargo pants. Not the sharp, polished look from last night. Even after everything, he still showed up here.

No, wait—this was his company all along. Kylian Hart was just a front—a mask Hayden used to keep everyone in the dark.

And then it hit me: last night, he’d listed all my supposed faults, but what about him? He lied to me. He hid who he really was. Why? Did he not trust me? Did he think I’d stick around just for his money? Or maybe he never wanted to share his success with me at all?

Anger surged through me, hotter than before. Afraid I’d lose it right there in front of them, I turned on my heel, ready to walk away. But Ron called after me, “Don’t go! Come up with us.” Then, calling over to Hayden, he added, “Hurry up, Hayden! Don’t keep Ms. Kay waiting.”

Chapter 482

Hayden finally reached us, his eyes immediately locking on me. But I shifted away, refusing to meet his gaze. If he wanted to look, I wasn’t giving him that satisfaction.

Ron wasn’t clueless. He could sense the tension but chose to laugh it off, saying, “Hayden, Ms. Kay here doesn’t recognize you as her plus-one anymore. Better fix that.”

Neither of us said a word. The awkwardness hung in the air like a fog, but Ron, ever the peacemaker, kept trying to lighten the mood. “You’ve got some serious dark circles, Hayden. Rough night with that sore throat?”

Even though I was fuming, Ron’s comment almost cracked me up.

“Got too much free time today, huh?” Hayden finally replied.

Ron just shrugged it off with a grin. “Hey, blame it on that bitter coffee this morning. Now I’m craving something sweet.” He shot me a wink, clearly hoping for some rom-com moment between me and Hayden.

I knew Ron meant well, trying to smooth things over. As we waited for the elevator, I kept my eyes locked on the floor numbers, silently praying for the doors to open faster. When they finally did, I stepped in, throwing Ron a polite smile. “Swing by my office later—I’ve got some candy for you.”

“Uh? Haha… sure… Hayden, Ms. Kay’s offering me candy.”

Once in my office, I poured myself a glass of water and got straight to work. Whether it was Riverwave Corp or Oceanix Corp, I never let personal drama mess with my professionalism. I led the morning meeting, dealt with the usual work chaos, and had everything wrapped up by lunch, ready to hand over to Ron.

“You’re always so efficient,” Ron said, flashing his signature grin. “Knocked out days of work in just one morning.”

Classic Ron—always the cheerleader.

Chapter 483